


Chicken Soup for the Soul

by thatwriterlady



Series: 30 Day Writing Challenge 2016 [18]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: 30 Day Writing Challenge 2016, Castiel Taking Care of Dean, Coffee Shop Owner Dean Winchster, Dean gets sick, Doctor Castiel, Domestic Castiel/Dean Winchester, Domestic Fluff, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Fluff, M/M, Married Castiel/Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-09-02 00:06:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8643463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: Dean is normally exceptionally healthy so when he gets sick for the first time since he was really little, it catches him completely off guard.  Good thing he has a loving, wonderful husband willing to do whatever it takes to make him feel better.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Fluff, fluff, and more fluff. This is Castiel taking care of Dean. I hope you like it. :)

**_Day 18: One of Them is Sick_ **

 

 

 Dean didn’t get sick.  He’d always been the healthiest person in his family.  Growing up, whenever his brother or his parents came down with the flu as they inevitably did every winter, it was left up to him to take care of them, to nurse them back to health, and to keep the house in order.  It was a responsibility he took very seriously, and he did it well.  The last time he had been sick it had been with chicken pox when he was 4.  That was 25 years ago.  Since then he hadn’t even had so much as a sniffle.  His doctors thought it was a miracle and marveled over his immune system.  While H1N1, Bird Flu, and even worse flu viruses continued to wreak havoc on the world, Dean went to work, went out with friends, and went home.  His health never wavered.  Until one time it did.

 

It started with a weird little tickle at the back of his throat.  It was an unfamiliar sensation that he puzzled over as he drove to work that morning.  He owned a fashionable little coffee shop downtown that saw roughly 400 customers a day, sometimes more due to the shop’s prime location near the university campus and the fact that it served higher end coffees at reasonable prices.  His biggest competition was Starbucks and since his coffee was less expensive and tasted better, his shop did infinitely better.  None of that cheap, bulk stuff chain shops sold.  No, his was imported and some of the most delicious coffee he had ever tasted in his life.  All of the pastries they sold were made by hand with all organic products and sold out lightning fast every morning.  They had to put out new products in the afternoon for when the students got out of class.  In the last year alone he’d had to hire on 2 new bakers and 3 new front counter employees.  The place was thriving so much that he was considering either enlarging or branching out.  He hadn’t decided just yet. 

 

By the time he parked in the employee lot behind the shop, his throat had more than just a tickle.  It felt raw and hurt to swallow.  Now he was annoyed.  He made his way inside where his baking staff was already hard at work making Danishes, muffins, tarts, bagels, sweetbreads, and more.  Being so close to Thanksgiving the shop was making pumpkin items by the boatload.  Walking in, he was greeted by the familiar coffee smell as well as the warm scent of muffins baking.  It made his stomach rumble.  His brother in law Gabe came out of the back with a tray of fresh pumpkin muffins.

 

“Hey, Dean-o, got all the pumpkin muffins for the entire day made already.  Put the batter for the afternoon batch in the cooler for now.  It’s easier to do that than to stop everything in the late morning to make more.”

 

Dean nodded as he laid his coat aside and started making himself a cup of tea.  That was not his normal morning routine and Gabe noticed.

 

“Tea?  I didn’t know that you even knew what that was.”

 

“Ha ha.  My throat is bugging me.  I’m hoping it will help, maybe with a shot of honey and lemon.”  Dean said as he moved over to the honey pot where they kept it warm so it was easy to add to drinks.  Gabe had finished loading the pastries into the front case and walked over with a spoon.

 

“Sounds like you’re getting sick.” 

 

Dean shook his head, grimacing as he tried to swallow.  His throat felt downright raw now.

 

“I don’t get sick.”  He was starting to doubt his own words though.  There was now something draining down the back of his throat and it was making him nauseous.  Gabe reached up and placed his palm against Dean’s forehead.

 

“You have a fever.  Whatever you have, it’s only going to get worse.  I highly suggest going home before you get everyone here sick, otherwise next week they’ll all be calling in sick and you’ll be understaffed.”

 

Dean sniffled.  His nose felt weird, but not his nostrils.  No, this was at the back, and it felt as raw as his throat.  He could feel a headache starting.  Maybe Gabe was right.

 

“I’ve never been sick before.”  He took a sip of his tea but the lemon stung the back of his throat.  He hoped that and the honey would help.

 

“Hang on.”  Gabe pulled out his phone and shot off a text. 

 

 **Gabe:**   Hey, your husband came in to work sick.  Sore throat, fever, he’s miserable, just doesn’t realize it yet.

 

“Who are you texting?”  Dean winced as he took another sip.  The lemon was really hurting his throat.

 

“Who else would I be texting?”  Gabe countered, smirking.  Dean sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

 

“Yeah, tell him I’ll meet him at home.”

 

Gabe watched as Dean left by the back door.  Once the man was gone he pulled out the paper towels and sanitizing spray.  While he waited for a reply text, he wiped down everything Dean had touched, and all the other surfaces, just in case this was where he had contracted the virus.  Just as he was done wiping down the door knobs, his phone chimed with a reply.

 

 **Cas:**   Dean doesn’t get sick though.  You’re sure he has a fever?

 

Gabe was quick to reply.

 

 **Gabe:**   He’s burning up.  And his throat hurts.  He’s awful pale too.  I just disinfected everything he touched, so no one here gets sick.  Put him to bed and medicate him.

 

 **Cas:**   I plan to.  Thank you for the warning.  I already told my staff I’m taking the day off.  I’ll stop on my way home to get him the necessities.  Do you think it’s the flu or just a cold?

 

 **Gabe:**   Judging from how bad he looks and how he’s already burning up, I’d say flu.

 

 **Cas:**   Ok, then I know what I’m getting.  Thank you.  Are all shifts covered for today?

 

 **Gabe:**   I’ve got this.  Just take care of your man.

 

 **Cas:**   Will do.  Have a great day.

 

Gabe shoved his phone back in his pocket.  He really hoped Dean got better quickly, it wasn’t going to be easy running it without him.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Dean’s head felt like it was about to explode by the time he reached the house.  He’d never had a headache this bad.  Maybe it wasn’t a headache at all.  Migraine would be a better term.  His energy was waning and he had to drag himself from the car.  A nap was definitely in order.  How he could be so tired already, he had no idea, but he needed sleep, and he was determined to get it.

 

Once he got to the master bedroom, he stripped and changed into a pair of flannel pajamas.  He downed some ibuprofen since his body was starting to ache more than usual, and crawled into bed.  After pulling the covers up to his neck he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes.  Within minutes he was out.  He was still sleeping an hour later when his husband got home.

 

“Dean?”

 

Not getting an answer, Cas made his way to the bedroom, the bags full of things he would need to properly care for his husband balanced in his hands.  The bedroom door was open so he stepped into the room, frowning in concern at the recognizable lump of his spouse under the blankets.

 

“Dean, honey, wake up.”

 

A soft moan emanated from under the covers but nothing more.

 

“Baby, I have medicine to give you or you’re going to be downright miserable within the next 12 hours.”  Cas set his bags on the floor and sat down on the edge of the bed.  He rubbed at what he hoped was Dean’s hip and waited for him to turn over.

 

“Too late, I’m already choking on sinus drip.”  Dean literally choked on the fluid dripping down the back of his throat as he rolled onto his back.  Feeling like he was drowning, he sat up.  Cas reached into one of the bags and pulled out a 4 pack of tissues.  He opened the plastic and handed one of the bags to Dean.

 

“Spit that junk out.  Don’t swallow it or you’ll be so nauseous you’ll be tossing your cookies.” 

 

“I’m already nauseous.  God, my head is _killing_ me!  Are colds always this bad?”  Dean’s voice already sounded rough.  Cas was pretty sure he was going to lose it if the sinus drip continued.

 

“Honey, this isn’t a cold, it’s the flu.”  Cas was digging in another bag and came up with a bottle of dark liquid.  Dean eyed it dubiously.  He knew his husband’s penchant for natural healing. 

 

“What’s that?”

 

“Elderberry syrup.  It’s going to taste like crap but it really does help, much faster than zinc or vitamin C ever could.”  Cas measured out a dose and held it out.  “Drink it.”  His tone was commanding and Dean did as he was told. 

 

“Oh…God…that’s _awful_!”  Dean gagged as he tried to keep the disgusting liquid in his belly.  Cas offered a bottle of water to him and he took it gratefully, only for it to feel like he was swallowing glass as he tried to drink it.

 

“I can’t, it hurts.  Can I have more tea instead?” 

 

“Of course, I’ll go make you a pot.  I have a special tea that will help.”  Cas went through one bag, setting a bag of throat lozenges, a small tube of Vaseline, and 2 boxes of pills in his husband’s lap.

 

“Sudafed, the stuff that works from behind the pharmacy counter, Benadryl for the sinus drip, and though the tissues have lotion in them, if you blow your nose a million times, it’s still going to be raw, so the jelly will help.  Did you already take something for the fever?”  He pressed a hand to Dean’s forehead.  Still pretty warm.

 

“I took ibuprofen.  My whole body aches.”  Dean replied.

 

“Alright, sweetheart.  Take the recommended dose for each medicine and I’ll be back with hot tea and some soup.”  Cas placed a tender kiss to his husband’s forehead before standing up.

 

“Thanks, babe.”  Dean’s eyes were bleary as he looked up at him.  Cas missed the normally vibrant green color of them.  Now they were bleary and red rimmed. 

 

In the kitchen Cas took off his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his button down.  Soup in the Winchester house was never from a can.  No, it was made from scratch, with love, and filled with all the good things that helped a sick person get healthy.  Lucky for him, Dean made crock pots full of the stuff all the time and their freezer was stocked with surplus.  He picked through the dozen or so containers until he found a chicken and wild rice one.  It had all the stuff Dean loved and would eat, so he pulled that out and set about reheating it.  While that was in the microwave he put on a pot of water for tea.  Dean kept the kitchen supplied in more teas than most people even knew existed because of how much Cas loved the stuff, but it was Dean himself in need now, so he searched until he found the loose leaf ones.  He hummed as he selected Echinacea, green tea, hibiscus, orange peel, rose hips, lavender, and a few other things.  When the water was boiled he dropped the filled tea ball in the mug and poured the hot water over it.  After stirring in some honey, he put the tea and soup on a tray with some crackers and headed back to the bedroom.  Dean was spitting into a tissue, shuddering at the horrid taste.  He lit up though when he spotted Cas.

 

“Food?”

 

“Yes, baby.  I made you tea and soup.”  Cas set the tray on his husband’s lap and smoothed his sweat dampened hair back from his forehead.  “How are you feeling now?”

 

“Like shit.  Is this what the flu is like for people?  This is fucking agony!”  Dean coughed and quickly grabbed a new tissue to spit into.  “What is that dripping down my through?  It doesn’t feel like mucus, it’s too thin.”

 

“Your sinuses are draining down the back of your throat.  I have a special mouthwash for you to gargle with later that will help your throat some.”  Cas replied.

 

“That Tichner stuff that makes you cry when you use it?”  Dean asked.  Cas chuckled.

 

“I don’t _cry_.  It’s just so strong my eyes end up watering.  But it helps kill the infection in my throat.”

 

Dean took a sip of the soup and hummed with pleasure at the flavor.

 

“I am glad I made this one.  So good.”

 

Cas smiled.  “It really is one of my favorites.  There’s one more container of that one, but you have like, 10 more.  Chicken noodle, chicken and dumplings, beef noodle, and I think maybe you have some turkey and rice in there too.”

 

Dean shrugged.  “I can’t remember what I made.  Charlie took some last month when Sean got sick.  Then came back at the beginning of this month when Asha got sick.  Those kids usually do that in tandem, but not this time.”

 

He finished his soup and sipped at the tea.

 

“Whatever this is, we need it down at the shop.  This is good.”  Dean really liked the flavor.

 

“It’s a wellness tea.  Hand mixed.  I want you to rests.  The Benadryl should be kicking in soon and making you sleepy.  Sleep helps your body heal, but the main job of the Benadryl is to dry you out.  Your sinuses will stop dripping for a few hours and you won’t be gagging as much.  The downside is that you will be very thirsty.  I’ll bring a thermos of tea in here for you.”  Cas leaned down to kiss his forehead.  “You just watch some TV.  I’ll go down and check on the shop in a few hours, make sure everything is running smoothly, ok?”

 

Dean nodded and leaned back while Cas moved the tray to the nightstand.  He was just leaving the room when he heard the television click on.  Returning to the kitchen, Cas cleaned up the mess he had made and evaluated what they had in the fridge that would sit well on Dean’s stomach for lunch.  Determining that tomato soup and grilled cheese would do well once the Benadryl had dried him out some, he headed to his office to do some paperwork.  Even if he was staying home, the work didn’t end.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

For the next 2 days Dean was a miserable wretch.  At least he wasn’t overly whiny like Cas had been afraid he would be.  He sucked it up and took whatever medicine he was given, and drank the tea.  On day 3 he decided it was time to head back to work.  He was feeling somewhat better and he contributed that to his husband’s insistence in taking more natural medicines than chemical ones. 

 

Not wanting to get his staff sick though, Dean stuck mostly to his office, completing payroll, ordering, and the myriad of other paperwork that came with running a business.  The cough lingered the longest though, and the last thing he wanted to do was be coughing around customers, so he barely showed his face around the shop until almost Christmas.  On Christmas Eve he closed the shop up early so his employees could go home and spend it with their families.  He had a ton more cooking to get done before his own family started arriving for dinner later that night.  Cas wouldn’t be home from work til around 7, so that meant most of the cooking fell to him.  There was a roast in one crock pot on low and a turkey in the other one, the potatoes and vegetables had been washed and were ready to be tossed in the steamer, and he’d made all of the pies already.  Really, all that was left were making rolls, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberries.  It wasn’t too bad.

 

He was home by 3:30 and slaving away in the kitchen shortly thereafter.  Sam arrived with his family at 7 and his sister in law Madison jumped right in to help while Sam kept their son Geoffrey under control.  Gabe and his wife Kali arrived with their 3 kids at 7:10, followed by their parents and then his own.  And still Cas wasn’t home.  Assuming his husband had stopped off to get wine, Dean didn’t worry too much.  When they sat down to eat at 8 and he still wasn’t home, he began to worry.  He excused himself and headed to their room to call him.  The phone rang 3 times before his husband finally picked up.

 

“I’m sorry, honey, it’s been a bad day at work.  We had a crash victim, hit and run, and…he didn’t make it.  I am just leaving the store now.  I wanted to get some wine.  Is everyone there?”  Cas bypassed a hello completely.

 

“Yeah, they’re all here.  I was worried.  You should have texted.  Are you ok?”  Dean asked.

 

“Yes, mostly.”  Cas sighed. 

 

“What does that mean?”

 

Cas sighed again.  “I think I’m coming down with something.  My head is stuffy and my throat is scratchy.”

 

Dean lifted his eyes up to the ceiling for a moment before looking at the window.  It was starting to snow.

 

“Just get home and we’ll have dinner with the family, then I’m giving you some medicine and putting you straight to bed.  Ok?”

 

Cas chuckled softly on the other end of the line.

 

“Yes, sweetheart. I love you, I’m almost home now.  Be there in 5.”

 

“Drive safe.  I love you too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I have been a busy little beaver, and not just with writing. Being that today is Thanksgiving, I have been baking and cooking. I would make Dean Winchester proud with all of the pies I've made over the last few days. Cherry, pumpkin, and cheesecakes. My kids (and best friend who's kitchen I used to make all of this loveliness) are poised to devour them. Seriously, yesterday my best friend tried to get me to just give her the pumpkin pie batter and let her drink it. I think she was a little overeager, lol. Turkey is in the crock pot (yes, every year I make it that way and it cooks perfectly, is filled with flavor and never dry), I made the homemade cranberries, and in a little while will make the yams, the biscuits, and the baked potatoes. My younger daughter plans to try her hand at making a green bean casserole. Have at it kid, I'm not eating that! Lol! She also made a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies yesterday from my recipe. If you notice, we do almost everything from scratch. Lots of allergies and sensitivities to deal with. Plus homemade food just tastes better. :)
> 
> We don't celebrate the origins of the holiday. They're morbid and that's like celebrating the holocaust. What I celebrate is food that is made affordable that I can feed my family, and spending time with the people I care most about. We're enjoying a nice dinner together. Next month is trickier. 4 people in the house. 2 celebrate Solstice, 1 celebrates Hanukkah, and 1 celebrates Christmas. Always eventful in our house, lol!
> 
> I hope you all are enjoying this day, regardless of where you are in the world. And I hope you enjoyed the story. Kudos and comments are always welcome.


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